As part of the Football Association’s 150th birthday party, England host Brazil (Feb 6), Republic of Ireland (May 29) and Scotland (Aug 14) at Wembley and also travel to Rio to face Brazil (June 2). The four games offer an opportunity for England to work on their penalty technique.

“It would be a good idea,’’ Hodgson told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme. “You might be able to agree with one of our opponents that ‘if the game ends in a draw let’s have a penalty shoot-out’.’’

Fans would be asked to stay on to create an atmosphere, a request that might be an issue for those keen to leave the ground because they have long journeys. The Brazil game at Wembley is a 7.30pm kick-off rather than the usual 8pm which gives some leeway.

Hodgson knows something needs to be done to end the curse of penalties. At Euro 2012, Hodgson became the fifth England manager to bow out of a tournament on penalties, following in the footsteps of Bobby Robson (Italia 90), Terry Venables (Euro 96, although Venables did oversee the quarter-final shoot-out defeat of Spain), Glenn Hoddle (France 98), Sven-Goran Eriksson (Euro 2004 and Germany 2006).

Hoddle always argued that it was impossible to prepare players for the psychological examination of penalties as the noise and tension of a shoot-out could not be replicated in training.

Concerned about the players’ serial missing, the FA offered Eriksson the chance to have a shoot-out at the end of the Old Trafford friendly with Jamaica on the eve of the 2006 World Cup. For some ­reason, the offer was declined by the England camp. Eriksson’s side duly bowed out of the ensuing tournament having failed the test of nerve from 12 yards.

In the past 22 years, England shoot-out penalties have been missed by Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle, Gareth Southgate, Paul Ince, David Batty, David Beckham, Darius Vassell, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Young and Ashley Cole. Rob Lee and Les Ferdinand also missed penalties as England lost the King Hassan II International Cup to Belgium in 1998.

Hodgson revealed yesterday that he had become wary of the online information site Wikipedia after it suggested – incorrectly – he was a harmonica-playing Rolling Stones fan.

“I was told by my sister that on Wikipedia I have two sons and I don’t know where the other one’s come from because my wife and I only have one, Christopher; and that I’m a great Rolling Stones fan and, with great respect to the Rolling Stones, I was brought up with soul music and rhythm and blues.

"There are a lot of things that can the written about you. Another thing I heard strangely enough was that I’m a harmonica player. Someone less musical than me would be hard to find.”

Meanwhile, sports minister Hugh Robertson has admitted the recurrence of racist incidents in English football is a concern and has called on the game to work harder to create opportunities for black managers.

Liverpool’s Luis Suárez and Chelsea defender John Terry were both handed bans for racist abuse in the last 12 months. “I think most of us would be worried by the recurrence of the issues around racism in football,” Robertson told Sportsweek.

Asked if the FA, which suspended Terry for four games, should have been harder on the England captain, Robertson added: “Yes, I think in retrospect the answer to that is yes. They are in a difficult position because they have to follow the law and there are legal challenges on all sides, but I don’t think anybody looking back on this year would think it’s been a particularly happy chapter.

“By the same token, and my guess is that Uefa president Michel Platini himself feels that, I think there’s widespread feeling in the game that the penalties dished out to Serbia following the under-21 match against England in October were not tough enough either.

“It’s one of those things racism, that you’ve really got to keep on top of it the whole time. I’ve seen quite a few black players who’ve asked to come and see me to talk through the problems. They very clearly feel there aren’t enough black coaches, there aren’t enough black managers, there’s a glass ceiling on top them.

“That’s why developments like St George’s Park are going to be so important to bring through a new generation of black coaches and black managers to try to tackle this. Just look at the FA council, and ask yourself how many ex-black players and how many women there are on that body, it’s not a great advertisement.”